Sense your real hunger

Your ability to see, touch, taste, hear and smell can make a multisensory experience of a meal. But don't let your fab five fool you into overdoing it. Our simple tricks can help you use your senses to eat better naturally.

Sight

People ate up to 24 percent less—but they felt as satisfied—while blindfolded, according to a study in Obesity Research. Why? Diners may use their peepers (instead of their stomach) to decide how much to eat. Close your eyes midmeal to gauge your hunger. When you’ve had enough, you’ll feel it.

Touch

Subjects who ate equal calories of peanuts and peanut butter felt fuller after eating the nuts, say researchers at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Select chewier, crunchier foods: an orange over OJ. They spend more time in your mouth and digestive tract and are more filling.

Taste

When women dieters ate fewer high-fat foods over a six-month period, they began to prefer slimmer fare, according to a study in Appetite. Retrain your taste buds to love lean eats: Try skim lattes, swap fries for a baked potato or pick minestrone over broccoli and cheese soup.

Sound

Many restaurant customers tend to order more food and drinks when music is playing, research shows. Don’t let a sweet soundtrack drown out your hunger cues. If they’re cranking great tunes at your favorite pub, skip that second cocktail and hit the dance floor.

Smell

“Food smells strongest and tastes best when you’re hungry,” says Barbara Rolls, Ph.D., professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State University at University Park. “But as you fill up, scents and tastes dull.” Take a whiff: no longer enticed by your meal’s aroma? You may be full.

Sense your real hunger

Your ability to see, touch, taste, hear and smell can make a multisensory experience of a meal. But don't let your fab five fool you into overdoing it. Our simple tricks can help you use your senses to eat better naturally.